How to Organise and Run Assemblies in Your Community

This manual outlines the various steps that you can take to run a community assembly in your local community. It has been created by people in XR’s Future Democracy Hub and Trust The People. This manual collates best practice from people throughout history and from all over the globe, who have used Community Assemblies to come together and achieve great things.

• The Three Pillars of Community Assemblies
• Creating a Team
• Funding
• Connecting with the Community and Allies
• Assembly Framing, Scope and Topic
• Assembly Planning
• Script For In-Person People's Assembly
• Dealing with Difficult Interactions
• What Next?

The Three Pillars of Community Assemblies

The three pillars of Community Assemblies which support empathetic interactions are radical inclusivity, active listening and trust.

A Community Assembly differs from a debate where one person is ‘right’ and the other is ‘wrong’, or from a typical discussion or conversation where people have a tendency to dominate with questions and interjections. Community Assemblies create an inclusive space in which each participant is respected and listened to without judgement, whilst sharing from the heart. Facilitated by a trained person, each participant listens to the ideas of others.

Radical Inclusivity

Effective assemblies achieve radical inclusivity; the emphasis is on all being heard and valued equally; no voices dominate; nobody has all the answers. The collective wisdom of the assembly is harnessed. People can participate safely and openly without fear of judgement or ridicule. Radical inclusivity, therefore, also means being aware of potential barriers to full participation and working with those affected to enable their participation.

“Diversity in opinion will pay you back in the long run socially... if we don’t fix this problem to start with we are simply going to replicate existing power structures.”
- Eleanor Saitta, hacker and designer

Active Listening

Active listening means we focus on hearing someone all the way through, listening empathically and overcoming the urge to start figuring out your response in your mind whilst someone is still talking. Assemblies recognise that no one person or group holds all the answers. The collective wisdom of the crowd means we gain powerful intelligence about the issues we discuss.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
- Aristotle

Trust

Once we agree the system and process for our assembly, we all need to trust the process, trust the facilitators and trust all people involved. Facilitators and the assembly organising team maximise this trust through sticking to the agreed process and ensuring that everyone follows the facilitators.

“I see the 15M assemblies and neighbourhood organising in retrospective and I’m amazed how it could work and most importantly all the trust that it meant.”
- Carolina, a founder of 15M and takethesquare.net

Creating a Team

“I can’t change the world on my own, it’ll take at least three of us.”
- Bill Mollison

Below, we have listed a few working groups that may help you get a community assembly off the ground. They constitute best practice, not a minimum requirement. Your local group may feel that so many working groups are well beyond your capacity so don’t let this guidance discourage you! It doesn’t take an army of volunteers to put on an assembly!

Alliance Building

Importance: Essential
Timing: From project start

This is the role that you need to establish very early on in your project. At least one person in your local group should lead communications with other organisations. While it will be helpful to brainstorm in your local group around potential assembly topics and locations, you will need to discuss all of these things early on with other organisations and be open to their suggestions if you want to collaborate with them. Unless you have a political or lobbying team, this will also be the role that contacts local politicians and invites them to the assembly. On Rebel Toolkit, you can find resources for local alliance building to inform this work.

Fundraising

Importance: Nice to have
Timing: From project start

You can request financial support with your assembly by filling in this financial support form. However, it is always appreciated if your local group can try to raise as many funds as possible themselves to finance your projects. If you end up up working together with other organisations, you can explore sharing certain costs.

Outreach and Integration

Importance: Essential
Timing: From middle of project

Just like you would do outreach to promote a Heading for Extinction talk, we will do outreach to spread the word about our assemblies. At the end of your assembly, you can invite attendants to join your local group or get involved in a local campaign in which case this team will have to prepare how people can join and what tasks they can take on. You will need an outreach and integration crew later in the project once you are clear on assembly time, location, topic, etc.

More information about Outreach and Integration.

Media and Messaging Crew

Importance: Nice to have
Timing: Middle to end of project

The role of this group is to promote the assembly through the media. That could involve your local group’s own online channels and newsletter, but you could also try local press outlets or ask allied organisations to promote the event in their newsletters and social media. On top of that, this team will coordinate taking pictures of the assembly and capturing them on your social media.

If you would appreciate any support with your local media work, feel free to contact media@rebellion.earth and they can put you in touch with your regional/national Media & Messaging rep.

Facilitators

Importance: Super essential
Timing: End of project

For each Community Assembly, you will need at least one facilitator, ideally two. Facilitators maintain radical inclusivity, active listening, and trust so that all voices are heard and valued equally. They keep the discussion focused and structured and prevent it from becoming unwieldy which is absolutely crucial for a successful assembly.

Recommendations:

• Make sure that your facilitators don’t have entrenched political bias or other strong prejudice, in accordance with inclusion principles. Party-political neutrality in facilitators ensures more effective assemblies.
• Ideally, a female facilitator is one of the assembly leads. It has been shown that this will greatly increase the level of engagement of female participants and the uptake of facilitation roles of women in general. The rate of engagement and uptake for males isn’t affected in the same way.
• Lead Facilitators would benefit from completing facilitation training.

Funding

Watch This Space! In the meantime keep in touch with your Gardener, if you have one in your region or nation, they will be among the first to hear of any new funding support for your assemblies!

We recommend that local groups wanting to run a community assembly check out General Fundraising Guidance on the Rebel Toolkit.

Potential Sources of Funds

There are now a number of players in the deliberative democracy space, some of which are either planning to access funding, or can help your organising group to raise funds or match fund. Check out:

• People Powered Democracy Project Funding, as they "Provide spaces and support for joint fundraising. Coordinate paid technical assistance services."
• ISWE Foundation
• Humanity Project in 2025 are targeting ten key locations in the UK and providing funds for those already selected. Come back next year?
• Your local council for voluntary organisations (check name for your location, e.g. WCVO, GAVO, WCVA)

If you come across a funder of community assemblies, please tell us about your successes in what you asked for, from whom and how. Share a link if you can via our Telegram Chat.

Connecting with the Community and Allies

Relevant teams: Alliance Building, Outreach and Integration

Before you attempt to bring a community together in Assembly, you need to actually familiarise yourself with that community. This will help you to select an assembly question that matters to the people around you, and to design an assembly event that is appealing to your local community.

Think: Who makes up the community in question? Where are they? Who are the obvious future participants? Who are the less obvious ones? Which communities are hidden from you? Where are the community connections that already exist happening? Are those connections deliberate or organic/cultural? Who are the influencers, the stakeholders, or the ‘Elders’ within this community?

Whilst we are connecting with the community, we need to connect with ourselves as well. We need to ask ourselves what assumptions we carry about the community we are trying to reach. We must challenge our own blind spots and prejudices at every opportunity, and continue to do so throughout the process.

It is also vital to develop active listening skills, so that when you are engaging with others in your community, you are taking time to understand them, their needs and their wants, rather than trying to push your own agenda.

To help you better connect with your community, take a look at the following modules (downloadable as Google docs) in the Trust The People programme:

• Personal Processing - This module encourages you to think about your identity, your biases, and your relationship to society.
• Deep Reflection: Understanding Ourselves and Understanding Others
• Engaging Communities - This module supports you in reaching out to others and forming relationships founded on trust.
• Deep Hanging Out Guide
• Active Listening Guide
• Door to Door Listening Guide

To help boost your ability to connect with those in your community, consider the following:

• Hold meetings in open and oft-frequented places (e.g. a local pub or cafe), so that many can easily participate.
• Be visible and open to conversations – find ways to bring those around you in.
• Attend existing community events – if relevant, you might run a stall.
• Contact existing community groups and connect to their issues and experiences.
• Organise events such as seed swaps, ‘free’ markets, community meals, music evenings, Empathy Circles or Cafes.

In the same phase of your assembly planning process, you want to put your feelers out to local organisations and see if any of them are up for organising an assembly together with you. Working together with other organisations will not only increase the diversity of your audience but will also bring new ideas to the event organising process that you might never have thought of on your own.

Dare yourself to reach out to a group that you have never been in touch with before. XR groups are most commonly in touch with unions, environmental and faith groups or unions. How about getting in touch with a local racial justice or LGBTIQ+ group?

Assembly Framing, Scope and Topic

Relevant teams: Your local group and ally organisations

The exact framing and scope for the assembly need to be agreed upon before any promotional work can occur. The destination and legitimacy of the results of the assembly should be discussed and decided upon prior to convening the assembly, and it is important that all assembly participants are made aware of this information before the assembly begins.

An Assembly for Sharing and Community Building

If, for example, you are planning to host an assembly designed to bring community members together to discuss issues that are important to them in the spirit of creating community bonds and finding common ground, then the framing and scope are as follows:

Framing: The event is open to all members of the community to provide space for discussion around local issues.

Scope: No decisions are being made, so the scope is limited and does not extend beyond the sharing of ideas and feelings. The ideas and issues generated in the assembly should be fed back to the community through social media and serve as a starting point for future conversations.

An Assembly for Discussing a Specific Topic and Generating Ideas

If you are convening an assembly which focuses on specific issues and where what is discussed will be shared beyond the local community with an external body, such as a council, then the scope would be broader. Say, for example, a local sustainability group advertises an open assembly on their social media channels to discuss how the local council can act after declaring a Climate and Ecological Emergency, then the framing and scope would be as follows:

Framing: The event is open to anyone who chooses to participate to share their ideas on what the council can do.

Scope: The ideas and issues generated in the assembly could be published on the local group’s communication channels (e.g. their Facebook page or their newsletter), and also be emailed to the local Councillors asking them to take the suggestions to the next Council meeting.

An Assembly for Making Decisions and Proposals

Assemblies can also be convened to ask for the opinions of members of a group and to make decisions. Say, for example, a local group calls an assembly to discuss whether they join with a larger group for a day of action or create their own one locally, and they advertise it to all members through every channel of communication, then the framing and scope are as follows:

Framing: The event is open to the members of the group so they can share their ideas on what they would like their group to do in the action.

Scope: The assembly has the legitimacy to make the decision on behalf of that group, and the decision made during that assembly will be reported to the group and acted upon. The assembly, however, would not have the scope to make decisions beyond their own group. If, for example, that same group holds an assembly to decide if they, as a region, should combine with another region in the same manner, then the results of that assembly would be fed into a larger decision-making process that would affect other groups within the region as well.

Once you have decided on your assembly question or topic, make sure to display it clearly on your promotions materials and the assembly itself for all to see.

A good question is worded such that it is:

• in everyday language,
• not too long,
• broad enough to allow for free discussion, but not so broad that a structured conversation around it is difficult.

Assembly Planning

Choose the venue

• Assemblies are usually held in public spaces like town squares or outside prominent places like a city or town hall. They are designed to be as open as possible so that members of the public can easily join in. They are also held in community centres or other public buildings, particularly during the winter.
• Assemblies can be located outside (or inside) somewhere that may link to the issue being addressed by the assembly. For example, if the assembly is looking at the effects of climate and biodiversity breakdown on the agricultural industry, an assembly outside the local National Farmers Union, for which the process working group has invited the key members, is a way of forcing a response.
• All assemblies should be held in venues that are fully wheelchair accessible.

Online Assemblies

Holding your Community Assembly Online is potentially a good way to be more inclusive especially in rural areas where face to face assemblies could potentially mean long commuting to the assembly or it might be easier to attend an online assembly for parents.

In recent years Zoom has become the most common software in usage for meetings and assemblies. Here is some guidance for holding Community Assemblies via Zoom:

Advance Preparation

In the spirit of ‘radical inclusivity’ pillar of Community Assemblies and in accordance with Extinction Rebellion Principles and Values, check the Extinction Rebellion Principles of Inclusivity to ensure the Assembly is optimising access across diverse needs.

Zoom Settings Management

To create a Zoom link and publicise it everywhere, check Extinction Rebellion guidance for Zoom set up and promotion.

In your Zoom account ‘Settings’ on the left, under ‘My Meetings’, click on the meeting you are facilitating. Make sure the following settings apply:

• Waiting Room, if set up so that participants are not automatically admitted.
  • Once you have opened the session, pop up messages at the top of your screen will tell you that participants are in the Waiting Room. Just click on ‘Admit’.
  • Once you have started the session, you can allow late arrivals to jump straight in, rather than going to the Waiting Room. To allow immediate entry for late-comers, click on ‘Participants’, then select the 3 dots, bottom right, then select ‘Enable Waiting Room’. This will (counter-intuitively) disable the waiting room, allowing people to join without you having to Admit them. NOTE: this option will only work if you have created a Zoom registration link and selected both Passcode and Waiting Room when you created the Zoom meeting.
• Meeting Entry without waiting. Start meetings with participant video off, as they may be eating, or not be ready to join fully for whatever reason; this respects participant privacy. Participants can change this during the meeting.
• Mute participants upon entry. Automatically mute all participants when they join the meeting. The host may control whether participants can unmute themselves.
• Chat. Allow meeting participants to send a message visible to all participants
• Auto saving chats. If you wish to capture the chat, maybe as a way to get people to leave their emails for follow up, etc, you can automatically save all in-meeting chats, so that hosts do not need to manually save the text of the chat after the meeting starts.
• Co-host. Allow the host to add co-hosts. Co-hosts have the same in-meeting controls as the host. A technical facilitator managing breakout rooms will need to make the other facilitator(s) co-host.
• Non-verbal feedback.
  • Participants in a meeting can provide nonverbal feedback and express opinions by clicking on icons in the Zoom ‘Participants Panel’ or typing ‘Stack’ in the Chat. The Tech Facilitator can explain that process.
  • Facilitators should also explain the rationale for and use of hand signals.
• Breakout room.
  • Allow host to split meeting participants into separate, smaller rooms
  • The Tech Facilitator can manage timings here
  • Click on the ‘Breakout Rooms’ icon on the bottom bar of your Zoom
  • Choose how many people can go into each room [3 or 4 is a good number; maximum 8 people] For randomised room entrants, select ‘automatically’ to let Zoom select participants at random to go into different rooms.
  • Select a time; e.g. 5 mins.
• Share screen.
  • In the host controls, click the arrow next to ‘Share Screen’ and click ‘Advanced Sharing Options’. Under ‘Who can share’; choose ‘Only Host.’ If needed, this can be changed back to allowing others to screen share. Select your booked Meeting.
• Access details are the same as booking the meeting. REMEMBER to check if you’re already logged into another Zoom account. If so, you need to log out of that one to log into the Zoom account where the Community Assembly is booked. Go to the avatar top right, sign out and then sign into the correct account.
• Closed captions options.
  • Anyone that's D/deaf or partially deaf will need these running from the start of the meeting. At the bottom of your screen, select closed ‘CC/Live Transcript’. You or others can always ‘Hide Subtitles’ if you don't want to see them,
  • OR ask once everyone's arrived, if anyone wants them running. If no one says yes, they can be turned off. You need to be a Host to turn CC/Live Transcript on/off.
• Computers or Laptops are best for online Zoom meetings, but participation can happen on smartphones too.
• Tech Facilitators need to be on Computers or Laptops, as you can’t always create Breakout Rooms on phones. You should be aware of the different options participants are viewing from, as the layout may differ depending on what device they are using.

Ask people in advance via promotions who have used Zoom before to sign in 5 minutes before the start time, and those who have not used Zoom before to sign in 10 minutes early; this allows time to work out how to use the buttons on their screen.

Penn State has an excellent guide on using Zoom for circulation to facilitators and / or participants in advance, in order to familiarise teams with options available.

Zoom Facilitator Roles

Ideally for an online Community Assembly, have facilitators with different roles, e.g.:

• Group Facilitators who ensure inclusion of participants
• Assembly Note-takers
• Technical Facilitator(s) to manage the breakout rooms, muting people, monitoring chat questions. While it isn't essential, this role helps the group facilitator focus on discussion and deliberation. They may also manage tools, such as Slido, or other digital support platforms.

How to run a Zoom Assembly

The process of running an Online Community Assembly is pretty much the same as one that you would use for an in person Assembly. Break out rooms will be used for the deliberation phase. Please find more information in the Quick Start Guide section of this manual.

In-depth Plan with Timings

One Month To Go:

• Agree time, date and venue.
• Book venue and any necessary equipment such as a PA system or kitchen equipment.
• Think about back-up venues in case of any issues nearer the day, especially if it is being hosted outdoors.
• Create an event page, e.g. on Eventbrite, so you get an idea of what attendance to expect. Ideally, it would allow people to express if they need British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation or childcare so you know if it’s worth investing in those things.
• Organise hosts and facilitators, along with others to take appropriate roles such as:
• Organising play area
• Refreshments
• Meet and greet team
• Media and messaging (to document and share during and after the event)
• BSL interpreter (if needed)
• Identify and invite stakeholders and influencers in the community.
• Invite your MP and local councillors.
• Print posters, leaflets, etc.
• Think about advertising:
• Make a list ahead of time of all those relevant to your area and decide which are worth pursuing.
• Ask people where they look for events.
• Try a few places and get feedback on where people see the information.
• Many people read their community newsletter or free paper but not the local paper.
• Find out where the important information such as local bin days and recycling is routinely published and try those first!

Two Weeks to Go:

• Re-share on all social media platforms, and be prepared to check for questions and comments. Be responsive.
• Put up posters. Think about points of contact such as libraries, cafes, noticeboards, supermarkets etc. Think of the less obvious places such as Youth Centres, Homeless Shelters, Citizens Advice Bureau.
• Door knocking and flyering.
• Hand out flyers in prominent places such as high streets or any other community events.
• Follow up with local councillors or your MP if they haven’t got back to you yet.
• Check there are no issues with the venue that might affect the event such as road works etc.

One Week to Go:

• Check in with all crew - Make sure you know who is responsible for:
• Bringing equipment for the play area
• Refreshments supplies
• Ways to capture contact details for future events
• PA equipment etc
• Check all roles are still covered.
• Agree a running order with the host and facilitation team, and circulate it to all crew.
• Reshare on social media.
• Ask interested parties to share within their own networks, perhaps challenge everyone already wanting to attend to bring one or two people along with them on the day.
• Ask people to share with those they think should be involved.
• Ask people to identify places where the information should be shared to reach those less likely to see it.
• Re-check there are no issues with the venue that might affect the event such as road works etc.

One Day to Go:

Last shout-out reminder on social media.

Send reminder emails or messages to anyone who registered on your event page.

Re-check there are no issues with the venue that might affect the event such as road works etc.

Check in with anyone holding a role that they are all good to go and agree to meet an hour before the start time to set up.

Send a reminder email to your local councillors and MP.

One Hour to Go:

All crew meet at the venue at least one hour before the advertised start time.

Host, facilitators and the media and messaging crew run through the assembly plan together.

Set up and test any PA equipment being used.

Set up food and hot drinks, and any information that is being displayed.

Ideally all the crew should wear something to identify them as being part of the organising team- this will make it easier for people to ask questions about the event or the process.

Set up the children’s area.

Circulate pictures of the assembly being set up through social media channels to generate interest.

During the Assembly:

Be available to greet anyone coming in and make them feel welcome/explain the process to them.

Be aware of tensions and needs.

Be available to support anyone. Many people may find themselves moved by the experience of listening to others or having their own voices heard, and some may need space or support.

After the Assembly:

Be available to answer people’s immediate questions about the assembly process or what happens next.

Collect emails and contact details to ensure that people can be kept in touch with, making sure that your process for doing this is GDPR compliant.

Pack away all the equipment and tidy up the venue.

Plan for a feedback and reflection meeting with facilitators and crew, ideally following the assembly. This can be scheduled for another day, but don’t leave it too long.

Have a party with everyone remaining!

Script For In-Person People's Assembly

This script has been written to help you organise a people's assembly.

Please note that this script is written in such a way as to ensure that those who are new to people’s assemblies are fully supported throughout. If you are an experienced PA facilitator and are working with those who understand how PAs work, understand their history and the hand signals, you may wish to skip over certain sections. In short, please adapt this script to the needs of your situation and your audience.

Important Things to Consider

• Before you attempt to facilitate a People’s Assembly, please make sure you have at least attended one. But remember: it’s not rocket science. Give it a go. You’ll be great!
• This script is just a starting point. As you do more, you’ll figure out your own way of saying what’s here. Don’t feel that this is the only way in which a People’s Assembly can be facilitated, although this method is based on many years of experience in PA’s by people from all over the World.
• Other things to note:
• The two facilitators should be of different genders if at all possible.
• Ensure radical inclusivity. Allow time at the start of the assembly to get everyone familiarised with using the tech. Think about the language you are using. Is it academic or vernacular? Are you communicating in a way that speaks to everyone within your community?
• Remember that all voices are valued equally. Trust the process, and allow all people to speak, even if you are not sure you’re going to like what you hear.
• We welcome all people, but not all behaviours: if someone says something that makes you feel uncomfortable (i.e. they may have been racist or sexist), then name the feelings triggered by that behaviour… for example, ”what you said just then made me feel very uncomfortable”. Do not judge the person: saying “you are a racist” or “you are a sexist” or whatever in this situation is more likely to lead to an escalation, and is likely to put the person into a defensive mode that will make further conversation more difficult.
• People's assemblies are widely used in action groups and civic democracy groups. For example, the Peoples Assemblies book on the Rebel Toolkit, provides loads more hints, tips and background information on PAs.

Script

• Input Phase
• Introduction (Facilitator 1)
• Hand Signals (Facilitator 2)
• Introduce the Concept of a People’s Assembly (Facilitator 1)
• History
• Inclusivity Statement
• Testify
• Three Pillars (Facilitator 2)
• Framing the topic: What is the point of this people’s assembly? (Facilitator 1)
• Deliberation Phase
• Breakout Room - Technical Advice
• How Does a People’s Assembly Work? (Facilitator 2)
• Discussion
• Integration/Output Phase

Input Phase

FACILITATOR 1: Introduction

• Welcome everyone.
 
• Facilitators introduce themselves, perhaps say a little of your background and experience with PA’s and Community Organising or Projects - Brief but inspiring! If you want to bring people into the space, perhaps do a short visioning exercise, inviting people to imagine something or think about what brought them to the space.
 
• Explain that People’s Assemblies have three ‘phases’:
• Input (includes introduction)
• Deliberation (discussion)
• Integration (Feedback)

• Input Phase
  During the input phase, we explain the process and structure of the assembly, we introduce the hand signals, and frame the focus of the assembly, as well as what will happen with the outcomes from the assembly.

   

  [If you are having more input here than just presenting the topic for discussion, such as speakers, video etc you will explain that here too]

 
• Deliberation Phase
  During the Deliberation (discussion) phase, you will be placed in small groups for [insert chosen length of deliberation phase] minutes and discuss the question/topic of this assembly.
 
• Integration Phase At the end of the Deliberation phase, the groups will come back into the full assembly and feedback what was generated in their small discussion group.

Facilitator 2: Hand Signals

[Demonstrate the hand signals used in assembly to allow people to use them during the introduction and input phase of the assembly.]

 
• We use hand signals to facilitate a discussion in which all voices get heard, no one dominates and we don’t speak over each other. We will outline the hand signals you will need to take part today. Don’t worry if you can’t remember them as they will be repeated later in the session.

HAND SIGNALS
[As you verbally outline the hand signals, physically show them to ensure people fully understand them].

• Make a point: One index finger pointed upwards.
  • The facilitator will stack, but they can choose to stack out of order to ensure RADICAL INCLUSIVITY and ensure all voices are heard.
• Agreement: Wavy hands for agreement.
  • This is to help note taker, who can record the level of agreement, and to make sure people are not interrupting others...remember it’s all about ACTIVE LISTENING.
• Clarification: Create a c shape with one hand.
  • This is to ensure all are able to fully participate. It is useful if people do not understand anything, particularly important if unfamiliar terms and acronyms are used.
• Direct point: Two index fingers pointing upwards.
  • This is not for responding, this is just for extra added information that is directly relevant to what is being said – people must be careful not to misuse this to jump ahead in the queue!
• Technical point: Create a t-shape with your hands.
  • This is used for technical information such as breaks or timings.
• Round up: Create a circle with both hands.
  • Do this after 2 minutes to make sure that those who are more comfortable speaking don’t go on and on...remember: RADICAL INCLUSIVITY.
• Speak up: Move your hands upwards with their palms facing upwards.
• Temperature check: Jiggle fingers at a level that corresponds with feelings i.e. upwards - support, horizontally - ambivalent, downwards - don’t support.
  • This can be used to quickly check the feelings of the group.

FACILITATOR 1: Introduce the concept of a People’s Assembly

What is a People’s Assembly?

A people’s assembly is a structured way for a group of people to discuss issues, generate ideas and/or make decisions collectively in a manner in which all voices are heard and valued equally and no one person, or group, is able to dominate the process.

People's assemblies are 'self selected' meaning that anyone can choose to take part. They are not to be confused with Citizens Assemblies which are randomly selected from the population by the process of Sortition, to make sure it is representative in terms of key characteristics such as gender, age, ethnicity, education level and geography. Citizens’ Assembly members would learn about critical thinking before they hear balanced information from experts and stakeholders. They would then spend time deliberating in small facilitated groups, similar to the break-out groups we’re going to use in this People’s Assembly.

People’s Assemblies have been used throughout history and all over the world as a means to enable people to come together and achieve real social change:

• In Ancient Athens, for example, a people’s assembly known as the ekklesia, which was open to all male citizens regardless of class, was where major decisions such as going to war, military strategy and the election of public officials were made.

• More recently, in Rojava, Kurdistan, people’s assemblies have been at the centre of a democratic revolution. Decisions are made by the community, and the role of the elected representatives is simply to carry out these decisions. The community itself is the seat of power.

• In Spain, the Spanish municipalist movement, known as the Indignados or 15-M movement, used PAs to discuss and protest against the government’s austerity policies. At the movement’s peak, 80 assemblies were being held each week alone in Madrid.

• In 2014 the Y’en a Marre movement in Senegal helped oust the incumbent and corrupt President by mobilising the youth vote using people’s assemblies and hip-hop.

• Closer to home there are the examples of Frome, Torridge and others, all of which are councils that have been reclaimed to some degree by residents in local elections. When councils are run by residents we see decisions get made that prioritise the needs of that community. To give a couple of brief examples, Frome has a Library of Things. This came from a small start up grant of £9000, which enabled over 300 things such as power tools, musical instruments, to be gathered for the whole community to borrow for a small fee. They also repurposed derelict buildings, solar panels sprung up everywhere, a local NHS initiative to prescribe volunteering plus the councils investment in civic and volunteer groups, this led to a 22% reduction in A&E attendances.

Inclusivity Statement

Before we start a People’s Assembly, we like to read out this inclusivity statement

“We value all voices equally in the assembly, as the aim is to hear the wisdom of the crowd gathered here and not to have the assembly dominated by individual voices or groups. We recognise that confident speakers are not always right and that those who are not confident speakers will often have the most useful ideas or opinions to put into the discussion. This is why we value all voices equally and we ask you to do the same. We do not tolerate any calling out, abuse or shaming. We welcome all people but not all behaviours.”

We want to hear your voice, if you want to speak, no matter what. Whatever age you are, wherever you are from and whatever you do.

The whole process will take about an hour and a half*, and we’d love you to stay for the whole of that, but feel free to go or come as you like or need.

[*If you have the time, it’s good to do a TESTIFY at this point. It’ll add about 15-30 minutes to the overall length of the PA, but gets people talking about why they are at the PA before the main section of the assembly…]

Testify

Before we get into the section of the People’s Assembly where you will all be able to talk through our specific issue in a facilitated way, we first like to give anyone who would like an opportunity to talk about what has brought them here today.

• QUESTION: What has brought you here today?

• Offer the floor to anyone who wants to speak. Ask for a woman to speak first (to ensure that we don’t have a succession of men, men and more men).
• Allow as much dead air as is necessary for people to build up the courage to come and talk!
• FACILITATOR 2 is timing and doing the ‘round up’ signal as necessary.
• After 15-30 minutes, move into the remainder of the PA...

FACILITATOR 2: The Three Pillars

A people’s assembly differs from debate where one person is 'right' and the other is 'wrong' and from the typical discussion or conversation where people have a tendency to dominate with questions and interjections. The assembly allows each participant to be held with respect and full attention - and no judgement - whilst sharing from the heart and for each participant to get a turn.

It's ok not to actively share too. Witnessing the sharing of others' feelings and experiences is as important as expressing one's own.

In an assembly, the focus is on personal feelings and experiences. Each speaker is encouraged to say 'I' - rather than 'we' or 'they' whilst sharing with others.

This can be encapsulated within the three pillars, which are:

THREE PILLARS:

• Radical Inclusivity:
  • Effective assemblies achieve radical inclusivity, where the emphasis on all being heard and valued equally means no voices are dominating and the collective wisdom of the assembly can be reached. People can participate safely and openly, without fear of judgement or ridicule.
  • For those who often speak up in situations like this, think WAIT...Why Am I Talking - try to say only what is needed.

[Radical Inclusivity also means being aware of potential barriers to engagement and working with those affected to enable participation. Think about disabled access, sign language, whisper interpretation for those for whom English isn’t their first language and other possible means by which those barriers can be removed. Ask at the start of an assembly if there are any barriers to engagement that people need to identify and then request that the group work together to find ways to remove them.]

• Active listening:
  • It is easy to start mapping out in your mind what your response may be while someone is still talking. Active listening is focusing on hearing someone all the way through before developing your responses. Assemblies are not an arena for intellectual jousting or point-scoring but a place that recognises that no one person or group holds all the answers and that through the wisdom of the crowds we achieve powerful intelligence about the core issues being discussed.

• Trust:
  • We need to trust the process/facilitators/other participants. This is not a perfect system! It is only effective if we all trust the intentions of the people in the room – if we work in humility and accept that our ideas may not be the best ideas – and we work towards the best decision for everyone.

FACILITATOR 1: Framing the Topic - What is the aim of THIS people’s assembly?

BACKGROUND

[Frame your assembly here:

• Why has it been convened?
• What are the aims of this assembly?
• Where will the results of this assembly go and what legitimacy do they hold?
• Is it a decision making assembly? Is there a yes or no answer that needs to be generated?
• Is it to generate ideas or feedback? Where will these go and are they recommendations that will be acted upon or are they feeding into a wider discussion?]

QUESTION(S)

[State your question or topic for discussion clearly here, and if possible write it up in the exact wording you use somewhere that will remain visible to all participants throughout the assembly.

Always ask for any clarifications at this point, and be open to working to reword the question/topic if needed you can ask for a ‘temperature check’ here to make sure the assembly agrees with the proposed wording.

A good question is worded in accessible language, not too long, and is broad enough to allow for free discussion, but not so broad that a structured conversation around it is difficult. Likewise a very specific question won’t generate a very diverse response.

For example, if you would like to engage people around the topic of buying local produce, you might ask:

• ‘Should we start a Food Hub?
  • This question is very narrow, and really requires a yes or no, so it is unlikely to generate a lot of great ideas.
• ‘How can we improve access to local produce?’
  • This question is broader, still focused on local access, gives scope for creativity.
• ‘What can we do to reduce food miles? - Too broad, this could encompass all manner of different approaches and likely to lead to the conversation jumping from local to regional to national issues.

Deliberation Phase

FACILITATOR 2: How does a People’s Assembly work?

You will discuss the PA question in breakout groups of 8-10, then feedback to the entire assembly.

Each group needs a facilitator and a note taker:

• It is the role of the facilitator to ensure that all voices are heard (radical inclusivity). To do this, allow two minutes per statement (maximum) and if people go over, give them the round up symbol.
• It is the role of the note taker to make notes on what is discussed, and to share their group’s key points of discussion in the integration phase i.e. when all of the groups have returned to the assembly.
• When the note-taker is taking notes, they can do so in bullet points for ease of recording. Try to capture exactly what someone means, rather than adding any personal interpretations.

Use the hand signals to communicate in your groups and to ensure radical inclusivity. [recap hand signals here]

• Make a point: One index finger pointed upwards.
• Agreement: Wavy hands for agreement.
• Clarification: Create a c shape with one hand.
• Direct point: Two index fingers pointing upwards.
• Technical point: Create a t-shape with your hands.
• Round up: Create a circle with both hands.
• Speak up: Move your hands upwards with their palms facing upwards.
• Temperature check: Jiggle fingers at a level that corresponds with feelings i.e. upwards - support, horizontally - ambivalent, downwards - don’t support.

10 minutes before the end of your allocated time, the note-taker should summarise the group’s notes, then use temperature checks to identify the points that have the most support or acceptance.

The group should then work together to reach agreement on the main points to feed back to the Assembly.

[Decide how you want the feedback to happen. For larger assemblies ensure each group has fewer points to feed back verbally.

Then decide what you will do with this feedback. Will the main assembly note taker make note of the most popular points? Or will the note takers from each breakout group give written points to the assembly Facilitator/Notetaker?

• Potential integration structures - select the most appropriate:
  • We would like the notetaker to share the top [insert number here] points with the whole assembly after we reunite as an assembly.
• Or if time is tight or the assembly is huge -
  • We would like the notetake to share 1 sentence or 10 words to the whole assembly
• If there is no time for verbal delivery -
  • We would like 3 key points delivered in writing

Ask for clarifications on the process and then restate the questions being discussed.]

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Discussion [25 mins or whatever your allocated time is]

[After 25 minutes, warn groups that they need to round up: they have 10 minutes for…

• Their note takers to read through the notes they have taken
• To choose the three points (or however many you are asking for) which had the most support. This process is facilitated as well.
• Prepare the feedback for delivery by whichever method you stated at the start - Either for verbal delivery in the main group, added to the Harvest doc, or summarised into a short sentence etc]

Integration/Output Phase

FACILITATOR 1: Ending

Feedback (15 minutes)

Note-takers to deliver feedback, [or whatever form you have decided the feedback will take]

Remember to get the names of the people giving feedback, and show appreciation.

Thank everyone for participating. Then explain what will happen to the results of the assembly, including any possible ‘next steps’ that people could take, or plans for further assemblies.

[at this point you can offer space for ‘shout outs’ - ‘Shout Outs’ are an invitation for those gathered to call out brief notifications such as upcoming meetings or events. These should be short and arranged with the facilitators beforehand if possible. This should take no more than 10 mins]

Close the assembly and ideally let everyone know when the next assembly will be if appropriate.

Appendix 1 - Dealing with Difficult Interactions

A collection of thoughts and ideas on how to approach difficult interactions and behaviours:

• Stress that “we welcome all people, but not all behaviours”.
• Move in when people are interjecting, challenging or talking too much.
• Make it obvious that we need to have equal sharing and hear of others.
  • “The points you are making are really interesting and important but it is also important to hear from other people here.”
  • “There is always a danger that the we only hear from the most confident voices - let’s make sure that we also hear from the people who haven't spoken so far”
• Thank people for their input and seek the positive intention of their behaviour (what are they seeking to achieve that is positive?)
• Remember, discussions can be won by people who make the most noise. Your job is to ensure all voices are heard.
• Explain the situation
  • “I am conscious of time and our agenda - what is the final point you want to make?”
• Radical inclusivity - we want time for everyone.
• It's important for people to feel listened to without interrupting.
• You can offer to talk to them in more detail in a break or afterwards. If you need someone to behave differently it can be an expression of Radical Inclusion to connect with them in a break or afterwards to keep in relationship with them.
• Sometimes with someone who is very unconsciously in need of attention and can't be satisfied with a short interaction, avoiding eye contact may keep them quiet or let them know they have been talking for too long.
• If necessary, overtly clarify the objectives of the session again and what is needed to achieve those objectives.

Dealing with Difficult Interactions

Sometimes when you are running assemblies, or doing community work in general, you might have difficult interactions with people. Whilst there is no easy way to overcome these, here are some suggestions:

• Refer to the line from the inclusivity statement: We welcome all people, but not all behaviours.
• Move in when people are interjecting, challenging or talking too much, stating that radical
inclusivity means we need to have time for everyone and equal sharing/hearing time.
• Thank them for their input and seek the positive intention of their behaviour (what are they seeking to achieve that is positive?)
• Remember, discussions can be won by people who make the most noise. Your job is to ensure all voices are heard.
• Explain the situation & encourage a quick round-up: “I am conscious of time and our agenda - what is the final point you want to make?”
• If someone interrupts, state the importance of ensuring people are listened to without interruption.
• Offer to talk to the person exhibiting difficult behaviour in more detail during a break or afterwards. If you need someone to behave differently it can be an expression of Radical Inclusion to connect with them in a break or afterwards to keep in relationship with them.
• Sometimes with someone who is very unconsciously in need of attention and can’t be satisfied with a short interaction, avoiding eye contact may keep them quiet or let them know they have been talking for too long.
• If necessary, overtly clarify the objectives of the session again and what is needed to achieve those objectives.
• In our Engaging Communities module we have a document on how to deal with conflict when engaging with strangers, which uses methods from Non-Violent Communication (NVC) - it is worth reading to prepare for community assemblies.

What Next?

After holding a community assembly, it is really important to think about what next? What will be done with the ideas and information discussed? This takes you to community organising. To learn about different ways to organise as a community, about the different tools in existence and about what others around the world have done, check out the Community Organising module.

Extinction Rebellion Local Groups can use the recommendations from Community Assemblies to start a local campaign and/or pressure local politicians. For more information, see the Community Assembly Local Group Pack.